


It’s Always Been You

by snippysnapped



Category: Sex Education (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:54:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26331472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snippysnapped/pseuds/snippysnapped
Summary: The one where Maeve hears the voicemail and makes a confession to Otis.(Takes place at the end of season two.)
Relationships: Otis Milburn/Maeve Wiley
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	It’s Always Been You

**Author's Note:**

> It’s been a while since I’ve written anything so I wanted to make a little one shot before I go on to trying to write some more stories :)
> 
> Also this has probably already been done before but I hated how Maeve didn’t get to hear Otis’ voicemail before Isaac deleted it so I thought it’d be nice to imagine what would’ve happened if she did.

“It’s you, it’s always been you.”

Maeve couldn’t help but smile as the recording echoed inside her room. She never liked to admit it, but as corny it was, hearing Otis’ voice  
again made her feel something she wasn’t used to. Something not even her “In ten years time” essay could explain. But for the risk of sounding like a mushy store bought Valentine’s Day card, she kept those thoughts locked up somewhere deep in her conscience. 

There was a loud knock on the door.

“Hey are you still in there?” Isaac asked.

Her heart stopped. Had he been waiting outside the whole time? 

She turned off her phone and put it in her pocket. 

“Uh yeah, um, just give me one second.”

“One. There.” 

“Oh fuck off Isaac you know what I meant!”

Maeve opened her trailer door to a smirking Isaac with a chocolate bar in his hand. 

“I see you’re still in your,” he gestured while taking a bite of chocolate, “Quiz bowl outfit. Did you win?”

“Yeah we did actually. I was nervous I was going to choke and fuck it all up in the end, but we won the championship!” 

He nodded. “That’s good. Care for some celebratory chocolate? I bought it off some guy with my brother at the convenience store earlier today. Said he was pissed that the people he hired were so absolutely shit at their job.” 

Maeve knitted her brows. “Oh you mean Adam and Ola? I didn’t know they got fired. But that’s not the point. You asked if I wanted chocolate?”

Isaac broke off a piece of the chocolate and handed it to her. Eating it in one bite, its sweet flavor and its smooth texture made her realize it was milk chocolate. The Cadbury kind.

“Thanks for the chocolate. You know, you’re not so shitty today.” 

“No problem. And neither are you. So what are-“ 

Before Isaac could finish his sentence, the noise of a Bikini Kill ringtone escaped Maeve’s pocket. 

Her eyes widened. She secretly hoped it was Otis, but she had to be realistic. Who the hell would want to call her this late at night? Let alone at a time she imagined would be the moment to drunk text someone. 

“Are you going to pick that up?” 

“Yeah uh, I’ll be right back.”

Maeve walked towards the top of the hill near the caravan park. Scrambling to snatch her phone out of her pocket as quickly as she could, she pressed the green “Accept call” button before the last ring without thinking twice. 

“Hello? Maeve?” the other person called. 

“Yeah?”

“It’s me... Otis. And before you say anything else, yes I know it’s late and god knows if you heard what I sent you already, but can we talk? Like face to face?” 

“Yeah of course. I’d really like that. Where do you want to meet?”

“At the hill. Right on top would be nice.”

“Okay well I’ll see you there. Bye.”

“Bye.” 

The conversation played in her mind like a song she had stuck in her head. Without noticing, she hummed a tune she liked quietly, beaming over the fact that Otis called her. 

“You seem happy. What was that about?”

“Oh that? It’s, it’s nothing.” 

“Come on don’t bullshit me like that! It’s definitely more than that. I mean look at you. You’re over the moon for fuck’s sake!”

She shook her head. “No no it’s really nothing,” she insisted, “Just some guy who’s got the wrong number and thinks my name is,” her voice trailed off, “Maggie. He says it’s my birthday today. Do you want me to take you to your trailer?”

“Eh sure why not.”

Maeve pushed Isaac’s wheelchair across the caravan park until they made it into his trailer. Once they got there, she told him goodnight, to which Isaac responded with another one of his  
sarcastic comments. In time though, like she had hoped, she could hear Otis’ footsteps as she walked back to the hill. 

Otis stopped and turned. “Hey. It’s good to see you.”

“You too.”

“I missed you.”

“So did I. I heard what you said in the voicemail by the way.” 

“You… heard what I said in the voicemail?” 

“Yeah I heard it once I got back from the quiz bowl finals. Was not at all what I was expecting after you got wasted and made your drunken speech in front of everyone at your house party the other week. Caught me off guard. In a good way obviously.”

“Yeah, about that….. Even after the voicemail, I don’t know where to start now that we’re here, but, I think there’s still something I need to say to you.”

He inhaled. 

“Maeve, words can’t describe how much I fucked things up with you. You were the one that said you messed things up with us, but the truth is, I fucked it all up. I dated Ola when I clearly wasn’t over you, and I was such a dick to you when I shouldn’t have been. I’m sorry.”

She walked closer towards him.

“Otis, I understand. Even if I didn’t exactly know it at the time, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t always you for me either. Because from the time we started the clinic to the time I had my abortion, you waited. And after all this time, after all the times we’ve spent together,” she looked down at the ground to wipe a tear from her eye, “I can’t deny that I have feelings for you.” 

For a moment, a mutual sense of silence lingered in the air. Not sure what would come next, the two of them stood still, locking eyes with each other. Her hands touched his jacket, and her sweater brushed against his shirt. Slowly tilting their heads, they leaned in for a kiss, letting the warmth of their lips slip in. 

“Is your heart beating too or is that just me?” 

Otis laughed. “It’s the both of us,” he blushed. “My heart hasn’t beat that fast since you touched my eyebrows in the school swimming pool. Do you remember that?” 

“I remember it like it was yesterday. Remember when we almost kissed that one night?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t stop thinking about it for weeks. You were so close to me I thought my heart was gonna explode!” 

Maeve caressed Otis’ cheek. Her fingers traced his skin gently. 

“You don’t even know how long I’ve wanted to do this.” 

“Me too. But what does this mean for us now? Are we more than friends?”

“Are we,” he paused, “A thing?”

She took his hand.

“I guess we’ll have to find out.”


End file.
